US hits Iran missile sites near strait of Hormuz with 'bunker buster' bombs
The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait, claims US.
The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait, claims US.
The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait, claims US.
Washington: The US military said on Tuesday it had hit Iranian missile sites near the strategic Strait of Hormuz with some of the most powerful bombs in the US arsenal.
"US forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran's coastline near the Strait of Hormuz," Central Command said in a statement on X.
"The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait."
The bombing raid comes after Iran closed off the strategic waterway, through which one-fifth of the world's oil flows, in retaliation for the war on the country by the United States and Israel.
The bombs -- which, according to an Air Force Times report in 2022, cost an estimated $288,000 each -- are still less powerful than the 30,000-pound (13,600-kg) bombs dropped by the United States against Iranian nuclear sites last year.
Meanwhile, Iran's parliament speaker on Tuesday warned that maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would not resume on the same terms even after the current conflict is over.
"The Strait of Hormuz situation won't return to its pre-war status," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, in an English-language social media post.
At the same time, Iran is selecting ships from friendly countries to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade waterway cut off by the Middle East war, data trackers indicated Tuesday.
Several countries have opened talks with Tehran to secure passage for their vessels, while the United States has pushed allies to provide military protection for shipping in the region.
Two Indian-flagged tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas reached Indian ports after crossing the strait over the weekend after officials from the countries said they held talks. A Turkish-owned ship was also able to cross the strait with Iran's permission, Turkey's transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in comments published on Friday.
Tehran's forces have closed off the waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes in peacetime, with deadly hits reported on vessels since the war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.